Tourists in the Costa del Sol, a resort popular with British tourists, were evacuated to safety after Spanish police uncovered a car filled with explosives, including grenades and firearms. The Guardia Civil found the black BMW X5 full of weapons in a sleepy resort in the holiday town of Mijas in southern Spain. Spanish news website sur.es reported the car was parked in the garage of an apartment complex.

The building in immediate danger was evacuated for 15 hours as police and fire crews attended the scene. Security officials doused the boot of the 4x4 with fire extinguishers before removing it. Locals living in the resort initially believed the problem to be a theft from the car.

Arturo Macias told local news the Guardia Civil set up a perimeter around the building but clear information about what was going on at the time was not forth coming. Another resident, Norma Magri, said her husband was asked to evacuate but police did not give further information.